Tuesday, September 18, 2007

I was training for a fall marathon, became injured, and bailed....what the fudge.

Sometimes other committments take precedent over a good workout....what the fudge

Monday was a "What the Fudge" day. There were so many reasons for me to have a good workout at the Y. My right leg is bothering me and I really can't run. Elliptical running and cycling are the main workouts to keep my aerobic fitness up to par. My workout called for 40 minutes elliptical, 45 minutes spinning, 30 minutes elliptical or pool running. Just under two hours for a workout that would be done inside watching the local news and listening to my MP3 player. Bags were all packed. I headed to the car and as I placed the bag into the car and turned around I stopped in my tracks to look at the beautiful blue sky. The warmth of the sun touching my skin. The neighbor's flag barely making a move. Seventy-five degrees and not a cloud in the sky. What was I about to do?

I just couldn't subject myself to being inside on this gorgeous day. But my tri bike was dismantled. New bars, derailleur, and cables still waiting to be installed. My road bike was in the basement having been put on the trainer for several rides. I'd have to change the rear tire again. Or I could use the Shimano wheels from the tri bike..or..I could use the FP60s that have been hanging from the hooks in the garage since the end of July. I could hear them calling me. Wanting to feel the open road. Wanting the cobwebs removed from their spokes.

I was off like a shot to don my Snakebite Racing team kit and bring my road bike up from the basement. I changed the wheels and had the tires pumped up in no time. I called the wife so she knew about the last minute changes, put the dogs in their cages and set out for a two hour bike ride.

It was so wonderful to be out like this. Leaving the neighborhood behind I was excited to make my way out to the countryside for some good riding. I had forgotten how awesome the Flashpoint wheels are. Despite the harsh ride on the bumpy roads, I favor the wheels because they are so smooth. The hubs spin with no effort and once I get the bike up to speed it's easy to maintain the speed, even going up small inclines. I was in cycling heaven.

I took one of my favorite routes through the countryside and even made a detour to visit a friend and check out their new pool and hot tub. I would have loved to enjoy the hot tub but I still had 12 miles to ride back home. I made the right decision going for the ride. The mental freedom of the road, enjoying the scenery (even the road kill) and doing something you truly enjoy deserves a great big "what the fudge".

Friday, September 14, 2007

The previous post was started on 10/4. I didn't want to miss posting the workout.

So where am I now? I've been going to an acupuncturist and that has been helping. While I am lying there on the table with needles in my legs and back I've been thinking about where I am athleticly an where I should be going. I finally had an epiphany about the Wineglass Marathon.

I wasn't progressing along as fast as I was hoping and I had to make the hard decision to back out of yet another marathon attempt. Aimee thought I had made that decision a week earlier but I finally came to grips with it on the 10/7.

As soon as I let the race go in my head I felt a great relief in my body. I made the right decision.

So I entered into the weekend with a good attitude and some good things to do. I was watching the Ironman Wisconsin race unfold from my living room and at my father-in-laws house. While having dinner at his place my mother-in-law told Aimee and I that the trip she wanted to take with us in July would be scheduled for October instead so we could avoid peak season. Immediately Aimee and I thought about my plans for Ironman Florida and her plans for the Nike Marathon in San Francisco.

Oh that would not be good for my training for IM FLA. Almost immediately I thought about my friends at Ironman Wisconsin and how I could do that race instead. Question was, could I get in. Work plans would be tricky to be on-line when registration would open.

I tool the chance and managed to be on the website right when registration opened up. So at 12:02PM EST I became a participant for Ironman Wisconsin, aka. IM MOO.

I know of a good crew from Cleveland going next year and my friend and teammate TriAl V2007 will be there as well. I needed something like that to fire me up for the 2008 season since my 2007 season will go out with a fizzle.

So there is a quick and dirty update. I'm still rehabbing the leg and waiting impatiently for it to come around. But for now I have IM Moo to look forward to. And a big vacation after Thanksgiving.

I started this post 10 days ago. I'm finally getting back to finish it...........

I've been trying to take care of myself and heal my leg. I saw an orthopedic doctor and he doesn't think it's too serious. Probably an inflamation of the bone and tendons. On Friday he said one more week of cross training before hitting the pavement for a test run.

He gave me a water running workout to try. I've always hated water running but I never had a structured workout. So why not give it a try.

It's a ladder workout.

Warm up 5 minutes

Follow this ladder twice

15 second sprint / 15 second easy30 second sprint / 30 second easy45 second sprint / 45 second easy60 second sprint / 60 second easy90 second sprint / 90 second easy90 second sprint / 90 second easy60 second sprint / 60 second easy45 second sprint / 45 second easy30 second sprint / 30 second easy15 second sprint / 15 second easy

This was harder than I thought. Oh yeah....don't use any flotation. No belt or anything.

The workout your arms get is intense. Doc said that I shouldn't be able to lift myself out of the pool. If I could I should do another ladder.